1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of preparing (S)-1-phenyl-1,3-propanediol or derivative thereof. (S)-1-phenyl-1,3-propanediol or derivative thereof are useful as raw materials for producing various medicines.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,921,798 reports a method of producing (S)-1-phenyl-1,3-propanediol by asymmetric hydrolysis of a chemically produced racemic ethyl 3-phenyl-3-hydroxypropionate with a lipase to give (S)-3-phenyl-3-hydroxypropionic acid followed by chemical reduction of the acid. However, this method has several drawbacks. The raw materials are expensive and only 50% of them are converted into product. The conversion step is also complicated.
Japanese Chemical Society Abstract 1A438 (March, 1991) reports a method of producing (S)-1-allyl-1,3-propanediol derivatives by subjecting 3-allyl-3-hydroxypropionate ester derivatives to optical resolution with a lipase to give (S)-3-allyl-3-hydroxypropionate ester derivatives followed by deesterification and reduction. However, this method produces products in low yield and includes a step that is complicated. Thus, there remains a need for a simplified and inexpensive method for preparing (S)-1-phenyl-1,3-propanediol and derivatives thereof.